WORKS

TRAVELS

The word “phenotype” refers to the physical appearance – which is the combined result of genes and environmental factors – of an individual. The photographs in this series were created with multiple exposure method; each image constitutes of many invertebrates that belong to the same species or species group and in a way express the average phenotype of each group. Charles Darwin’s cousin Francis Galton used a similar composite portrait method to study human variation.

Swarm intelligence emphasizes the minor role of any individual that is part of a larger insect colony, and people also often see insects as repulsive mass instead of viewing them as individuals or even species. In multiple exposure images the animal mass transforms into a single portrait that appears soft or even cute. However, due to fragility not all body parts align and none of the individuals disappear entirely under the mass.